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Stranger Things season 5 was certainly... something. The last couple of episodes of the show unveiled the backstory for Henry, the man behind Vecna, a move that felt unnecessary at such a late stage in the show's final season. Like, the guy is kidnapping little kids and being a huge jerk. Isn't that enough?

As it turns out, in the writer's room for Stranger Things 5, things almost went very differently for Henry and Vecna in the final episodes. Speaking to Netflix's Tudum, series creators the Duffer Brothers shed light on how Vecna nearly had a Star Wars-like change of heart at the eleventh hour. 

"We did discuss with the writers’ room if [Henry] could have a Billy [Dacre Montgomery] moment where he turns against the Mind Flayer [in a] Darth Vader-type situation. But the more we talked about it with the writers and with Jamie [Campbell Bower], he’s gone so far at this point to get here, he has to justify everything he’s done. And the only way to justify that is to go, “I chose this, and I believe in this still,'" Ross Duffer said. 

Your mileage may vary with how that creative choice went over in the episodes. And, despite what so many Stranger Things fans believe, there will be no ninth episode of Stranger Things 5. The finale was actually the finale. The show is over, folks. 

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"